Cultivating Arts Impact through the Duke Arts Fellows Program

A man in a suit holding up a bass in front elementary students

When 9-year-old John Brown saw the North Carolina Symphony perform at his elementary school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he was inspired to start playing the bass. Brown had seen the bass played on television, but witnessing the instrument played by a live orchestra felt more accessible to him. That school visit shaped the course of Brown’s life.

Now, as the Vice Provost for the Arts, Director of the Jazz Program, and Professor of Music at Duke University, Brown seeks to make the same impact that the NC Symphony made for him. As an artist and educator, he regularly performs in schools across North Carolina, but his vision extends beyond giving individual performances. By harnessing the institutional capacities of Duke Arts, he seeks to create a lasting, impactful program that uses the arts as a unifying force, strengthening connections between Durham Public Schools, Duke students, and Duke faculty to foster a vibrant, inclusive community.

Last summer, Vice Provost Brown’s vision for bridging the gap between Durham Public Schools (DPS) and Duke Arts gained real momentum. Leading a team of three students from the Arts+ 2024 Cohort—Devon Carter, Thaïs Marsalis, and Riley Campbell—Brown helped produce a diagnostic report that uncovered the pressing need for arts education in DPS. By gathering insights from 39 DPS educators through surveys and interviews, the team discovered a passion for arts programs, which educators believe are vital to K-12 education.

According to one educator, the arts are crucial because they teach students to “be human,” offering a space for “creativity, collaboration, and emotional expression that traditional subjects often miss.”

Despite educator enthusiasm, the report noted that the arts are frequently the first target of already limited public school funds. North Carolina’s public education budget is currently at $4,655 per student per year, significantly below the national average, and in recent years more public funds have gone to private and charter schools. This reduction of public funds impacts arts programs in Durham Public Schools. As one DPS educator lamented, there is “zero art curriculum” at their school.

Identifying a clear need for arts classes and arts activities in the general curriculum at Durham Public Schools, this initial report informed the design for the new Duke Arts Fellows Program. The program will provide undergraduate fellows an opportunity to collaborate with DPS educators and Duke faculty members, producing fulfilling arts education programming and a capstone experience, like a production, performance, or gallery, for DPS students. The Duke Arts Fellows will offer actionable support to DPS educators, who have the ideas and expertise but inadequate resources from the district to implement transformational arts experiences for K-12 students.

Developing a program with these ambitious goals took intentional and meticulous planning. In the 24-25 academic year, Duke undergraduates Jeffrey Broms, Thaïs Marsalis, and Riley Campbell formed an advisory board to design the program. During the fall, Broms, Marsalis, and Cambell identified five Duke faculty members to advise undergraduate fellows in the next academic year. This spring, the advisory board will select DPS classrooms for the program and finalize details in collaboration with DPS educators. Reflecting on his experience with the advisory board, Jeffrey Broms appreciates the collaborative nature of the board’s work:

“One of the unique aspects of our task is the way we work between various organizations; while considering the interests of groups like the five arts departments, Durham Public Schools, and undergraduates both majoring in the arts and majoring in other areas, we’ve worked to build a program that is impactful and sustainable. I’ve learned a great amount about realizing a motivating idea into an executable framework.”

A young adult making a finger puppet

While much work has already been put into preparing for the Duke Arts Fellows, the Fellows themselves will also have agency in how the program develops after it launches in Fall 2025. For example, at the start of the academic year, the Fellows will select an overarching theme or issue for their DPS arts programming. If the selected issue is the environment, for instance, Fellows could design a theater-based DPS program to create animal puppets that experience a climate disaster and have to learn to be resilient, or a dance-based program could focus on the embodiment of rising temperatures. Year-after-year, Duke Arts Fellows will shape the course of their fellowship to match the interests and needs of students, faculty, and DPS educators.

As the program gears up for its inaugural year, Anna Wallace, Duke Arts’ Student Engagement Manager and a proud DPS graduate, has been played a key role in shaping the program’s vision. Reflecting on her own experiences at Durham School of the Arts, she noted the profound impact that arts education had on her life. “I’m committed to ensuring that all DPS schools have access to the same kind of arts education that shaped me,” she said.

Looking ahead, Vice Provost Brown’s passion for transforming arts education in Durham is clear. He’s excited for the continued collaboration between Duke, DPS, and the broader community. Applications are open now for undergraduate students to join Duke Arts Fellows, and the first cohort will soon be announced, marking the next step in what promises to be an ongoing, dynamic effort to enrich the lives of students, educators, and the entire Durham community through the power of the arts.


Applications are now open for ‘25-’26 Duke Arts Fellows. Applications are due February 10.